


Exploding Potions and Accidental Revelations

by JustAHobbit



Series: Fremione [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Accidental Revelations, F/M, Unrequited Love, or is it?!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2019-01-07 06:42:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12227652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAHobbit/pseuds/JustAHobbit
Summary: An accident in potions class leads to Hermione being the ONLY one that gets showered in a love potion. She smells different to everyone. Everyone except Fred, that is.





	Exploding Potions and Accidental Revelations

It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that when Hermione Granger’s day gets off to a bad start, things will only get worse.

            The apex of her bad luck, of course, being that she was the _only_ one in the way when a cauldron of Amortentia quite suddenly exploded and showered her with its contents.

            _Great,_ Hermione thought bitterly. The love potion was beginning to run into her eyes. She rubbed at them in vain.

            “Here, Hermione,” she heard Harry’s voice say. He pressed a rag into her hands. Professor Snape did not look amused at her predicament. He was glaring as if it was Hermione’s fault that the potion exploded.

            “I would suggest a drying spell,” Snape drawled when Hermione had made it back to her seat. “But it won’t do you any good. It’ll at least three days for the smell to wear off.”

            Hermione sighed and closed her eyes again.

            _Damn._

            Her eyes flew open when she heard sniffing.

            Harry and Ron were leaning uncomfortably close to her, sniffing, dreamy little smiles on their faces.

            “What are you two doing?” Hermione hissed. They both drew back, blushing.

            “Sorry,” Ron apologetically. The tips of his ears turned pink. “It’s just-well, it’s love potion. You smell nice. Like chocolate frogs and pumpkin juice.”

            There was sniffing behind Hermione. She turned around. Dean, Seamus, and Neville were all leaning in close with that same dreamy smile.

            Hermione raised an eyebrow. “Well? Would you boys like to tell me what you think I smell like?”

            Instead of taking it for the intended warning it was meant to be, the three boys took it as an invitation. Dean thought she smelled like fresh coffee and new football cleats. Seamus thought she smelled like the salty ocean air. Neville thought she smelled like his grandmother’s scones straight out of the oven.

            This continued all the way to dinner. All of the Gryffindors tried to huddle as close to Hermione as possible. She may have elbowed a few of them while cutting up her chicken. They deserved it.

            “What’s going on?” Ginny asked, pushing her way on to bench to sit with Hermione. She paused, breathing deeply. “That’s an interesting perfume you have on, Hermione. It smells like-”

            “It’s love potion,” Hermione interrupted. “A love potion exploded on me in class today. It smells different to each person depending on what attracts you the most.”

            “She smells divine,” Parvati said. “We’ve all had such fun trying to figure out what she smells like to each of us. I should go get Padma!”

            “What do _you_ think you smell like?” Lavender asked out of curiosity. Hermione frowned, considered, and then held her robes to her nose and inhaled.

            “Parchment,” Hermione began. (“Of course,” Ron muttered.) “Freshly mown grass…I think…pine? Yes, pine. And there’s the sort of smoky smell. Like off of a campfire or fireworks.”

            Harry shrugged. “Flowers?” he guessed.

            Lavender sighed dreamily. “You smell like Lady Grey tea, to me.”

            Hermione looked ready to kill. More and more people trickled in the Great Hall. Which just meant more and more people kept slowing down or lingering by Hermione with that same dreamy smile. It didn’t help when Lavender and Parvati kept pointing at these newcomers and demanding “You! What do you think Hermione Granger smells like?”

            Lavender waved at some newcomers coming in the doors of the Great Hall. Hermione nearly choked on her potatoes. No. Not him. Don’t ask him. Anyone but him.

            Because Hermione suddenly remembered where she had smelled the pine.

            She remembered where she smelled the smoky smell as if from a campfire.

            Or fireworks.

            “Fred, George, Lee?” Lavender called out. “Would you mind coming over here and telling us what you think Hermione smells like?” The witch in question slammed down her silverware.

            “Where are you off to?” Ron asked testily.

            “If you would all excuse me,” Hermione said, shouldering her bag. “I’m off to drown myself in the shower for the next few days.” She ran past the twins and Lee, keeping her eyes on the ground.

            When Hermione disappeared from view, the three older Gryffindors joined the rest of their house at dinner.

            “What’s all this about Hermione?” George asked curiously.

            Neville was the one who shrugged and answered. “Nothing much. We just all thought she smelled rather nice today.”

            Fred rolled his eyes. “Granger? She doesn’t smell any different today than she normally does.” It took Fred a half minute before he picked up on what felt like the _entirety_ of Gryffindor house staring at him in shock.

            “I’m not saying she smells bad or anything!” Fred defended himself. Why did they all gasp like that? “I don’t make a habit of sniffing her or anything but I have noticed she has a nice smell. Maybe it’s her perfume?” Fred blinked. “Why is everyone staring at me?”

            Parvati stood up abruptly. “I have to go talk to Padma. Lavender? Come with?” The two girls rushed at the Ravenclaw table. Ginny groaned and muttered “Oh no!” Harry looked torn between confusion and laughter. Ron looked almost murderous.

            “Did I miss something?” Fred demanded. Ginny was the one who decided she should break the news to her brother.

            “There was an accident in Hermione’s potions class today,” Ginny explained. “A potion exploded all over her. A _love_ potion.”

            Fred looked concerned. “She’s alright though, isn’t she? Love potion must have been defective or something. She didn’t smell any different to me.”

            They all waited patiently for Fred to put the puzzle pieces together. He dropped his fork with a loud clatter when he did. Dean and Seamus were unsuccessfully trying to cover up their sniggering. George didn’t seem surprised by this revelation in the least. Ron was eyeing the dropped fork as if he’d very much like to stab his older brother with it.

            “I just-”

            “Yes you did,” George nodded solemnly. “And in front of two of the biggest gossips in Hogwarts.” Indeed, the whole of Hogwarts seemed to be looking over at the Gryffindor table, whispering behind their hands, pointing.

            “Well…shit.” 

* * *

 

            Thanks to the quick work of the Hogwarts rumor mill, it didn’t take long for the news that one of the Weasley twins was not-so-secretly-anymore in love with Hermione Granger. Most had it down correctly that it was Fred. A few people insisted that it was George. A very small number thought it was both and that they were all involved in a strange, incestuous love triangle (George was quick to hex all these people and that particular rumor died quickly as a result).

            “I still can’t believe you didn’t _tell me_ ,” Ginny chastised her older brother. Fred was being uncharacteristically quiet. Instead of answering, he continued crushing ingredients for his bubbling cauldron. George answered for his twin. He’d been doing that a lot over the past two days.

            “To be fair, _I_ didn’t even know. Hell, I’m not sure Freddie knew until…” George waved a hand. The Tuesday Evening Dinner was an infamous event now in Hogwarts.

            Ginny smiled dreamily out the window of her brothers’ dormitory. “Well _I_ think it’s quite romantic. And, no offense to Ron, but I like the idea of you two together much better.” Ginny paused for a moment. She was smelling something that wasn’t Fred’s potion. “Why do I smell pine?”

            George rolled his eyes. “It’s the soap Fred uses. Strong, isn’t it? Just makes me sneeze.”

            “Have you talked to Hermione yet?” Ginny asked. Fred’s shoulders stiffened.

            “No,” he finally answered. He was keeping his eyes set on the cauldron. He’d refused to even look at Ginny since she came in the room. Ginny was getting rather annoyed by it all.

            “Can I ask why not?”

            George sucked in a breath. “Bad move, Gin,” he muttered. Fred turned and glared at his younger sister.

            “Well, I don’t know if _you’ve_ noticed, but I’ve certainly noticed that Hermione’s been making herself scarce these days.”

            Ginny’s face fell. Oh, Fred. Fred was hurting. His secret had been exposed and he thought that Hermione-oh, Fred. “I’m sure she’s just been hiding out because of everyone wanting to smell her all the time.”

            Fred rolled his eyes. “She’s roommates with Lavender and Parvati and you think she hasn’t heard? No, let’s face it, Gin. Hermione heard and she doesn’t want to see me. And why would she not want to see me? I can take a hint. I’ll get over it.” He dumped the ingredients in the cauldron. Immediately a great cloud of smoke engulfed the room. Coughing and sputtering, the three Weasley children scrambled to throw open all of the windows.

            “Damn it!” Fred hissed. “I’m going to have to start over from scratch!”

            Ginny coughed. “What the hell was that?” She was desperately trying to clear the smoke in front of her face. It almost smelled like-

            “Fireworks,” Fred explained. “Well, it was one of the potions that we need to make our fireworks before it blew up in my face. Literally.”

            Ginny froze.

            Fireworks.

            _Pine_.

_“What do you think you smell like?”_

_“Parchment. Freshly mown grass…I think…pine? Yes, pine. And there’s the sort of smoky smell. Like off of a campfire or fireworks.”_

            Christmas had come early to Ginny Weasley. And if she played her cards right, she could bring an early Christmas to Fred and Hermione, too.


End file.
